Police believe that excessive speed may have contributed to a head-on collision involving two passenger cars on Highway 22E that resulted in the death of a Redmond woman and injuries to a Bend couple Wednesday afternoon.

A head-on collision on Highway 22E resulted in the death of a Redmond woman and injury to two Bend residents - OSP photo

About 2:30 p.m., she was traveling east and rounding a right curve on Highway 22E near milepost 59, about six miles east of Detroit, and lost control of her 1988 Ford Mustang which crossed the centerline and crashed head-on into a car occupied by the two Bend residents, troopers said.

The highway was closed for over an hour when one lane was reopened. Oregon Department of Transportation personnel cleared all lanes for travel about 5 p.m.

While the accident remains under investigation by OSP from the Salem Area Command, troopers stated that the highway was well-sanded at the time of the collision and excessive speed is a possible factor.